Sports Magazine

Playing Football is never easy, from the start the players undergo different challenges that will test their strength and dedication to the game. I have a nephew who plays for their school football team and he told me the hardships he has endured during the time he was still a rookie.

Saying No When They Have To

As a young player, several requests keep coming from different directions. During game seasons several requests like appearance, friends/family wanting to come in for every home game (also wanting to know if they can stay with him or where they should stay),errands for vets, ticket, charitable appearances/interviews/donations, autographed memorabilia, TV, Radio, digital, newspaper interviews, making investments, loans, buying new car, clothes, jewellery, dinner with veterans teammates and a whole lot of other request and not to mention the off-season requests that would also require their presence and in as much as they want to say yes to all the requests, doing so will burn through their time, money, energy and most specially their performance. (more…)

The Adidas subsidiary, Reebok, has committed to becoming a star player in the baseball shoe market. The brand growth and technical design breakthroughs has put Reebok baseball cleatsamong the elite equipment of the game and landed Reebok as a leading supplier of baseball footwear. Reebok has taken full advantage of its shoe innovations and marketing savvy to consistently release new products that are rated among the best on the diamond and are talked about off the diamond as well.

Features and Performance

Reebok baseball cleats like the popular Vero line boast performance boosting features throughout. Synthetic leather uppers are used to keep the shoe light and other parts of the upper are supplemented with fully breathable material for comfort. The patented Play Dry lining helps fight moisture and an EVA insole and quality sock liner helps prevent pressure points and adds comfort. Reebok baseball cleats are issued in low and mid styles and in a variety of styles and colors.

Growth and Sponsorship

The Reebok Company has gained market share not only through the technical strength of its cleats, but also by athletic endorsement contracts and charity sponsorships at the Major League level. The signing of stars like David Ortiz and the release of signature model cleats have helped to further establish the brand among younger players. Reebok also raises awareness for breast cancer by supplying pink cleats to professional teams to raise awareness. This mix of corporate concern and public benefit has helped keep the Reebok baseball cleat in the public eye.

Reebok baseball cleats are a great piece of equipment on the field and the company is ensuring that their baseball cleats can also work to raise public awareness and corporate profits off the field. The efforts to continually brand their product in a responsible and corporately conscious manner prove that Reebok is playing hard and playing to win!

It’s that time again.  The rivers in Oregon are open for fishing.  If you’re like many anglers, you wait anxiously for winter to end so you can get back on the river.  There is a lot of Oregon property that is accessible for fishing.  The Sprague river starts in Bly Oregon and meanders through Beatty, Sprague River, and eventually merges into the Williamson river which feeds Klamath Lake in Klamath Falls.

There are a few places along the Sprague river that is accessible to the public.  Much of the river is banked by private property but the river is floatable if you have the time and ambition.  You can access the river behind Chiloquin high school.  There is also access on the Winema National Forest.  The upper boat launch is about two miles East of the town of Beatty.  Be prepared for a very long day if you plan on floating it.  The first public place to get out is about 20 miles downriver.

The river is quite active with fish.  There are trophy sized redband trout, lunker German Brown trout, rainbow trout, large mouth bass,  brown bullhead trout, and despite what the tree huggers would like you to believe, plenty of Sucker fish.  Fishing for large mouth bass peaks during the late summer and early autumn.

If you are going to float the river, be prepared by scouting the takeout location.  Since public access is limited, if you miss your take out spot, you could be in for a very long boat ride until you find your next chance.

The river is fished with spinners but bait is also allowed.  When you get into the Williamson, it’s artificial lures only so don’t get caught with even the tiniest amount of bait in your possession.  You can be cited for using bait even if it’s just in the boat or tackle box.

Despite the hassle of dealing with all the private Oregon properties, fishing the Sprague river can be quite enjoyable and productive.

Anyone who has ever spent a few hours on a frozen pond waiting for a nibble knows how different ice fishing is from standard reel or fly fishing — extreme patience and a good deal of resistance to cold is a major requirement, but additional ice fishing gear and supplies are required to ensure that you come back from a fishing trip with a decent haul.  Ice fishing rods in particular are different from their warm weather cousins; certain lines and reels are requiring to bring in different types of fish, while the entire range of equipment must be able to handle the cold and the snow.

Micro rods are naturally the smallest type of rods, with the least amount of tension feedback and able to catch smaller fish or bait fish rather than the larger types.  Use micro rods to land a perch, a sunfish, a blue gill, crappies, or even smaller sized bass.  A stronger rod weight with heavier design can be used for jigging and hauling in a heavier fish or even a game fish, including lake trout that can weigh as much as thirty pounds.  Many fishing companies manufacture specific types of ice fishing rods, advertising instant efficiency in your next fishing trip.

A finesse rod is a nineteen inch graphite rod with a small spinning wheel that allows for short sight fishing, so that experienced fishermen can directly look down on their catches and land them without laborious hauling.  A dead stick rod works best for catching minnows or other small bait fish, floating on the ice edge with the bobber; the dead stick rod shows action as minnows pass by without alerting or alarming the fish.  For large walleyes and lake trout, a spinning rod works best to bring in the bigger sized hauls.  These rods are much more sensitive than their smaller counterparts, but are designed to take punishment from passing or landing fish.

A key draw for Costa Rica property is the kind of lifestyle that comes with it.  And golf enthusiasts know what they want: quick access to good quality golf courses.

Guanacaste has 7 golf courses linked to master planned communities – 4 of which are completed.  Perhaps the most famous is the Arnold Palmer course at the Four Seasons Resort on Peninsula Papagayo.  Other well-known courses are the Mike Young course at Hacienda Pinilla just south of Tamarindo, the Reserva Conchal Golf Club course designed by Robert Trent Jones II and the public course at Papagayo Golf and Country Club.

The planned courses in Guanacaste include a second course at the Four Season Resort, this time designed by Jack Nicklaus, a Greg Norman course at Hyatt Azulera Resort Village and the planned Guanacaste Country Club golf offering.  Once these additional courses are completed, this area around the international airport in Liberia will read like a who-who of famous golfing names.

Our list of golfing spots would not be complete without mentioning the La Ignana golf course at Los Suenos Resort in Herradura designed by Ted Robinson Jr.  An established course set with in a master plan offering all the facilities you would expect from a full service resort destination including a marina.  Golf condos, golf lots, golf houses, you name it, are available.

Two courses stand out near the capital city of San Jose – Valle del Sol re-designed by Tracy May and the Fazio course at Cariari Country Club.  These don’t fit the mold of the destination resorts in Gunacaste and Herradura but you can purchase real estate close by.  Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula is home to two 9 hole golf courses, one at the Los Delfines Country Club and the other at Punta Islita Hotel.

And it seems that the southern zone of Costa Rica – that stretches from Quepos to the border with Panama – may finally have a golf course.  A Dan Lavis course is planned at the San Buenas master planned community.  We’re pleased to see that the growing environmental consciousness among buyers is being met here by green principles in golf course construction and management.  Good news for golf players and Central America real estate investors alike.

Whenever someone purchases new golf clubs, they should always make sure that the set of clubs they are purchasing is armed with a hybrid golf club. The hybrid golf club is the most versatile golf club there is and it is specifically designed and manufactured to be that way. The following is a look at some of the advantages of using a hybrid golf club.

The hybrid golf club is so named because it made to be a combination of both an iron and a wood. Thus it allows a person to play in just about any kind of cut or condition. The biggest advantage of using a hybrid club is when it comes time for a person to have to use their lower numbered irons, namely 1 through 4. These irons are commonly known as the driving irons and are always used as substitutes to the fairway woods. A hybrid golf club combines all of these characteristics. It gives you the same striking and trajectory of all of those clubs.

Some people in the golf industry like to call a hybrid club a rescue club. Essentially that is what it is. It has a head that is the size of a wood but a shaft and loft like an iron. Some golfers may have some trouble adjusting to hitting with their irons. A lot of amateur players require a lot of time learning how to strike the ball with a blade. The hybrid club eliminates this because with the larger head it allows for a better strike of the ball but at the same time, the length and loft that you expect out of the iron.

The biggest advantage of using a hybrid golf club is that it is so versatile. It can come through in the clutch and has shown that it can get a golfer out of some tricky conditions. It is for this reason that the hybrid club is used by so many golfers, amateur or professional.

For me, like most Americans, the idea of going to the gym and just lifting weights and running on a treadmill is dreadfully boring.  Incorporating a fitness sport into my workout was an ideal way to keep myself motivated and to keep in shape.  Basketball is a great full body workout, an excellent aerobic exercise and a wonderful way to burn extra calories.  Oh, and its fun too!

Spicing up your workout every once in a while can do wonders.  When you do the same exercises over and over again, your body can get accustomed to them and you may not see the results you are hoping for.  Something like a game of basketball, racquetball or swimming can sometimes be just the thing to get you back in gear.

I can be extremely competitive, especially when it comes to sports, so I started incorporating basketball training exercises into my repertoire.  Sprints to improve my speed, jumping exercises to get me closer to the hoop to name a few.  I’d dribble a basketball at home constantly which helped me tone my biceps, triceps and forearm.

Playing a gym sport basketball has also helped meet a lot of new friends at my gym.  Working out with them outside of the basketball court forces me to kick it up a notch.  They’ve also introduced me to other fantastic sports like racquetball, water polo and kickboxing.

By adding all these additional exercises, I feel like I am getting the most from my fitness club and getting my full money’s worth.  It can be hard to digest the extra expense of having a membership at a health club, but if you really commit and take advantage of all that they offer, it may be worth your money.

For more information on basketball and several other gym sports, check out The Gym Sport Site

United States National Soccer Team coach Bob Bradley just announced his final 23-man roster in anticipation of the upcoming World Cup.  The tournament will be held in South Africa from June 11-July 11, 2010, and this marks the very first time that the World Cup will be held on the African continent.   Bradley’s final roster features few surprises, except for the fact that the only experienced National Team forward he has on the roster is 20-year old Jozy Altidore.  The other forwards are Edson Buddle, Herculez Gomez and Robbie Findley.  Brian Ching was the odd man out in this scenario, so he will not be making the journey to South Africa with the squad.

The opening match of the tournament is June 11 and it features host nation South Africa and Mexico, the United States’ rival from the CONCACAF confederation.  The US National Team kicks off its tournament against mighty England on Saturday June 12.  This game will be featured on the ABC television network live and in High Definition starting at 2:00 PM eastern time.  Their next match is Friday 6/18 against Slovenia and the final first round match is Wednesday 6/23 against Algeria.

While many US soccer fans considered this group draw one of the best-case scenarios, it is certainly not a straightforward task for the United States team by any means.  Having to play England the first match complicates matters a great deal, because assuming a loss against the heavily favored English team the US would have no margin for error the rest of the way.  This will put an enormous amount of pressure on the US team as they will need, at the very minimum, some combination of a win and a tie (4 total points) from their final two matches against Algeria and Slovenia in order to advance to the knockout stages.  That is certainly within the realm of possibility, as the US will feel they are the superior team in both those games, but you’d always rather avoid unnecessary pressure in a tournament of this magnitude.

After their success at the 2002 World Cup, and then the disappointment of the 2006 tournament, the US will want to show that they’ve progressed as a soccer playing nation these last four years.  It is essential that they qualify for at least the knockout stages for it to be considered a successful tournament.  The 2010 World Cup will hopefully be remembered as the tournament where the United States become a nation to be respected and even feared in major international soccer competitions.

How does one of the most talented NFL teams this year outperform their opponents by over a hundred yards per game in the last four games, but still end up with a record of 1-4?  Well, if you were just guessing off the top of your head, then might say things like bad luck, too many turn overs, bad reffing, or lousy timing.  But, in this particular case, your not quite right.  The Cowboys in spite of all their natural and ingrained talent are losing simply because of a lack of discipline.  And that conclusion is supported by the number of penalties they are taking.  Right now, if you look at a certain undesirable statistic, the Cowboys are on a 10 game winning streak.

But hey you say, what ever could that streak be?  Well, for the past 10 games, the Cowboys have beaten their opponents in total penalty yards.  No other team in the league even comes close to that streak.  Checking the NFL portal, I think the next closest team has a four game streak.  That’s a pretty damning number when you think about it a bit.  Giving up a hundred or so yards in penalties, is almost like giving away a touchdown every game.  It’s obviously a problem that needs to be addressed, and it needs to be addressed at the highest level.

Simply put, Wade Phillips needs to step up and take control of his team.  These are highly paid professional players, that need to get the basics right.  There’s no excuse for taking stupid penalties over and over again in the NFL.  Of course, any good coach will tell you, this is the kind of thing that needs to be address in practice every single day.  Once the coaches make it an priority and start dealing with it, then I’ll start making my football betting picks with an eye towards a much improved Dallas Cowboys.

How cool is it, that Super Bowl XLV is going to be played at the home of the Dallas Cowboys?  I grew up in the seventies and eighties, and during that period, at least in my mind the Dallas Cowboys were one of not “the” powerhouse in the realm of football.  I was always a big fan of the Cowboys, and the legendary feats of  Tom Landry and Roger Staubach are very much a big part of my formative years.  I was actually kinda surprised, when I realized that for all the years the Super Bowl has been played, it’s never taken place in Dallas.  It has played in Houston a couple of times, but never in the Dallas Fort Worth area.

And, there’s no doubt, that the new Dallas Stadium is going to be a stunning showcase for the event.  I was browsing through some other football news the other day, and was wowed with the facility.  Just viewing that monster video screen would be worth the price of admission I think.  Apparently, the screen itself cost as much the old Texas Stadium, that the Cowboys used to play in.  While it would have been pretty amazing, according to the superbowl odds found at BetUS: and the basic laws of mathematics, there’s absolutely no way the Cowboys will be playing in the Super Bowl this year.  That would have been about the only thing to make a Super Bowl in Dallas even more spectacular.  Either way,  I pretty hyped about the big game, and can’t wait to see it played.